Sorry, I know it's been a while, and I know this is a short one but... better than nothing right? I've been busy with the holidays and otherness... anyways, enjoy this chapter. Oh, I had another story pop into my head and was typing at that for a while so that contributed to the wait. What do you think... is it wrong for me to start another story? Let me know. REVIEW!

The Out(side)ers

Diamond had been true to his word. It had been a week and I hadn't seen sight nor heard any word from him. In a way, I felt bad. I didn't want to break the poor man's heart but I couldn't be with him.

Darien on the other hand, oh my dear lord! He rarely left me alone. After the talk with the girls he had stayed close to me, too close in my opinion. I know he worried but I needed my space. "Serena, I need to go to work. I think I've taken as much time off as I can and still be at the top of my game." He stood in the doorway to my bedroom and frowned. "I wouldn't leave if I didn't have to…"

"Darien, I know. Go on. I'll be just fine here all by myself. I have powers remember?" I grinned as he rolled his eyes then fixed them on the ceiling. I could see that he wanted to say something, I knew what it was too. Since the nigh we kissed he'd kept his distance in the romantic sense of the word. Of course, I hadn't made that easy. Every chance I got I would flirt with him and it often ended with him swiftly removing himself from the room. It was the only way I had gained any privacy in the past seven days.

"I know… but you can't use them. If you do… more will come." He stepped forward and touched my cheek as if he was going to kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me, hell, I wanted him to do more but he had been annoyingly indifferent to me. "Please Serena, don't give yourself away." With that he kissed my forehead and left the room. After the front door had shut I smiled and leaned back on the bed. With a long sigh I realized that this was the first moment I had been alone in a long time.

This whole thing had been taxing to say the least. Not only had there been hunters looking for me but the reason behind the search had come to light. I looked at Luna who was silently sleeping on the bed and smiled. "Oh Luna… why is everything so complicated?"

"It always has been." I blinked and stared at my cat who had actually talked. Had I completely lost my mind? I mean, yeah I could always hear her thoughts but she had never actually talked to me! "Don't look so surprised Serena. You didn't really think I was a normal cat did you?" She jumped off of the bed and voila! Luna was no longer a cat!

My once darling, purring little kitty was standing in front of me in high heels and sporting a black and yellow dress. She had long black tresses and a bright, shining, upturned crescent symbol on her forehead. "Luna?" I sputtered and gawked at her, perhaps a little too long because her soft motherly gaze soon turned to that of annoyance.

"Yes! You ignorant little teenager! Ugh!" She threw her hands in the air then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What I mean to say Serena… is… I've been disguised as a cat for a long time in order to watch over you. Everything that is happening… well… this isn't the first time." She let out a long breath and sat next to me on the bed. "Aberrants are not what you think they are. The government has spun the ignorant, yet, convincing tale that Aberrants are mutants of sorts. We're not… we're actually aliens. Our symbols (she touched her forehead then mine) are birth marks of sorts. Every Aberrant has a symbol that tells others of where they came from. Haven't you ever wondered where all of the astrological signs came from? Early astrologers took the symbols from the aliens who came here long ago." I simply stared at her. I had to be dreaming, and if I wasn't… maybe I wanted to be.

"Wh… why are you telling me all of this now? If it is true and I have to say… I'm thinking I'm hallucinating… but… I just…" I covered my eyes with my hands and simply took in a deep breath of some much needed oxygen.

"I'm telling you this right now because waiting outside is a nasty group of Aberrants intent on taking you away and I'm getting tired." She seemed to wilt a little as she spoke the last phrase. "You're so powerful Serena, your beacon is stronger now than it ever has been and… I can't… hide it or shield us any longer. I'm simply not strong enough anymore." She looked at me sadly. "Without Darien here… I… I'm afraid Serena."

"What do you mean you're afraid? Luna… what are you saying to me?" I blinked as she slowly sat back on the bed and closed her eyes. Her hand searched for mine and when it found me she sqeezed.

"I'm saying… I…" I could see her beginning to nod off to sleep. The sound of the apartment door opening scared the daylight out of me. At the same time I could hear the balcony doors opening. Oh dear lord! I was trapped! I turned to the window and froze as I saw a woman with long, waving green hair smiling at me with a satisfied smirk on her face. She then opened a red feathered fan and hid her mouth with it as the bedroom door began to open. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the inevitable fight that was to ensue the full opening of the door.

I was ready, ready to fight, ready to die, ready for whatever I had to do to survive. Slowly, ever so slowly the door inched open and in stepped a familiar face. "Diamond." I gasp and stepped back towards the window. Standing behind him was a group of people all bearing his same symbol. "You… what are you doing?" His eyes shifted past me, seemingly glaring at the woman floating outside. When they fixed on me I felt cold, not to mention weak. They were not the eyes I had seen before. No, now they were black and empty.

"I've come for you. This time… I won't take no for an answer!" He shouted and lunged for me. Closing my eyes I tightened my body, anticipating his forceful grasp. It never came. I cracked my eyes open slightly and jumped back in surprise. His fingertips were millimeters from me but he seemed to be frozen in place. His eyes were a golden color and his mouth was open in what could only be described as both an angry, yet conflicted, shout.

"Disgusting isn't he?" A tall blonde stepped up beside me and sneered at Diamond's frozen face. Where had… (he, she?) come from? I looked at the person beside me then felt an odd sense of calm envelope me as green eyes fixed on me. "Close one." The voice was a that of a husky female and yet it could be male… honestly I wasn't sure. "Well, we made it one time. The name's Amarah, this is Michelle, Hotaru, and Trista." She motioned behind me and I turned to see three women standing behind me. "We're here to get you out of here."

"I'm sorry… what? Who exactly are you?" I looked from one woman to another and frowned. I didn't recognize a one of them. The woman beside me simply smiled a crooked smile and turned to the aqua haired woman named Michelle.

"We are your guardians." The youngest woman said. Her voice was whispery and made me want to shiver. Something about her almost seemed… empty. "We mean you no harm." She added. I suppose she saw the doubt in my eyes and rightfully so. I doubted this group. Two of them, Trista and Hotaru held staffs. Hotaru's was almost scythe-like and Trista's held a glowin orb atop of it. Amarah, the tall blonde had a sword on her belt and Michelle… well, she looked pretty harmless really.

"She still doubts us." Michelle shook her head and looked at Luna. "Hotaru, can you wake her?" Hotaru nodded and practically floated over to Luna. I'll admit, the teenager that was clearly younger than me was freaking me out. She held her scythe over Luna and closed her eyes. The staff began to glow and soon, Luna's eyes opened.

"Hotaru?" She blinked and quickly sat up. Her eyes fixed on me and she released a sigh of relief. "Thank God!" She looked at Diamond then looked at Trista. "You've improved since the last time I saw you."

"We have all improved Luna." Trista smiled and looked at me. "Including Serena I see. It was very easy to find her. Wise man has no doubt launched this attack." I stared at her then looked to Luna for some sort of explanation. I had never seen these women in my life yet, they seemed to know me. "We must move away from here. Hotaru may be able to shield her but it will be difficult. You could hardly contain her Luna."

"I understand this. We have to go if we are going to keep her from the likes of Wiseman." Amara sneered. She grabbed hold of my arm and started to pull me out of the room and into the area with all of the other Aberrants.

"Wait! Darien!" I cried and pulled my arm away from the masculine female. "I'm not leaving without…" She turned on me so suddenly, her eyes full of anger and fury. I'm not sure what was going through her mind but whatever it was I felt very… uncomforted.

"Who?" Her eyes turned towards Luna then onto Trista. "What did you do?" She hissed and narrowed her eyes. "You were supposed to leave him behind. He's not worthy of her!" I stared at her and wondered what the heck she was talking about. Leave Darien where?

"I couldn't do that and you know it Amarah. He would have destroyed the planet in protest." Trista sighed and looked at me. Whoever these people were, they seemed to know a hell of a lot. "We will get him. Where is he?"

"He's at work… wait, how do you know me?" I frowned as Amarah shook her head and started pulling me towards the door. "Hey! Let go of me!" I shouted and ripped my arm from her. She seemed to growl then turned to grab me again. "Don't touch me! I demand to know who you people are! The truth!" I shouted as I felt my forehead become warm.

"Amarah! Stop aggravating her!" Hotaru shouted and pointed her now glowing staff at me. She seemed to be struggling with something, as if the staff in her hands was the heaviest thing she'd ever tried to carry. "Please calm down Serena… you're going to shatter Trista's concentration… then we're going to wind up fighting." I blinked and looked around me. So Trista had frozen everyone. That was impressive.

"I'm losing it…" Trista grit her teeth before her body seemed to snap forward and the room became animated. The people around us turned and looked at us with surprise and anger on their faces. I could hear Diamond's shout then he went quiet. Everything seemed to be at a standstill until I heard Diamond's voice again.

"Kill them but leave Serena unharmed." He commanded and smirked when Amarah, Michelle, Trista, and Hotaru surrounded me. "You ladies want to fight?" Diamond drawled then laughed and waved his hand in the air. Hotaru held out her staff and… what happened next, honestly, it scared the crap out of me! The staff began to glow and, as if I was in some sick horror movie (Which at this point I was convinced of it. You know, like some secrete plan to freak me out?) the aberrant around us began to fall to the ground, their eye's wide and their mouths open in pain and horror as their bodies contorted unnaturally.

As they sunk to the floor, their arms and legs almost snapping at the joints, I felt myself growing weak. My eyes felt heavy and I began to tremble with exhaustion. "Hotaru, you have to stop now." Trista commanded.

"Not yet, a little more. I want them all to suffer for what they want to do to her." Hotaru growled then jabbed her staff forward causing them all to move a few feet. As my eyelids fell Amarah hooked her arms under mine and began to lift me from the floor (which I had apparently sunk to).

"Stop now! You're draining the hell out of her!" I tried to open my eyes but only felt weak as Amarah shouted. "Hotaruuuuuuuuu…"